Style Codes of Americana

BEAMS

A brand and retailer that is considered ubiquitous far outside its home of Japan, BEAMS traces its roots back almost half a century to 1976.

It was during this year that BEAMS opened a conservatively sized shop in Tokyo’s famous Harajuku district, famous for its ability to incubate fashion trends. From this neighborhood, BEAMS started its journey toward becoming a pioneer of Japanese fashion, and specifically what is referred to as “Ametora” as a way to describe Japan’s obsession with Americana. This fixation largely centers around American denim, workwear, and military surplus, as well as Ivy League prep from America’s post-war period between 1940 and 1960. One faction of this style set established what was known as aibii style, a Japanified distortion of the English word “Ivy,” which was a style born on American university campuses.

BEAMS was founded by collector and archivist Osamu Shigematsu, who pitched his unique idea for a clothing distributor to businessman Etsuzo Shitara. Originally named American Life Shop Beams, the brand’s first space was conceived to look and feel like a UCLA university dormitory room. In the early days of the brand, Shigematsu would travel to California and return with unique apparel, homewares, and accessories from the West Coast to sell out of the Harajuku space.

The same year that BEAMS was established, 1976 also marked the launch of a publisher that remains highly influential to this day, called POPEYE. Framed as a “Magazine for City Boys,” POPEYE embraced BEAMS’ same love for Americana. Primarily covering men’s fashion, POPEYE acted to further cement the influence of American style trends that BEAMS’ founders Shigematsu and Shitara had curated.

Building on the original BEAMS label, BEAMS now houses a wide range of sub-labels, including BEAMS Plus, Fennica, BEAMS F, BEAMS Boy, International Gallery Beams, and more. BEAMS has also earned a reputation for its collaborations and white-label products, which are curated specifically for the notoriously specific Japanese clientele. Coming full circle from its original ambition as a brand, BEAMS has ended up partnering with many American heritage names that it was first inspired by. Highlights from BEAMS’ catalog of collaborations include Timberland, Levi’s, Red Wing, L.L. Bean, and others. Dating back to 2001 for the 25th anniversary of BEAMS, the Japanese brand’s ongoing collaboration with Canadian outdoor label Arc’teryx is also an anticipated moment each and every season.

In the sneaker space, BEAMS has also left its mark through limited-edition partnerships, with memorable releases like the three-way BEAMS x AFEW x ASICS Gel-Lyte III “Koi” collaboration from 2018, as well as a 2009 link-up with New Balance, and two Nike collaborations that arrived in 2001 and 2003 with Air Max 1 and Air Huarache Light drops respectively. In 2024 BEAMS also teamed up with ON for a capsule of apparel plus a rework of Roger Federer’s Roger Pro signature model.

In the present day, BEAMS is captained by Yo Shitara, son of Etsuzo, while Osamu Shigematsu only stayed with BEAMS until 1989, when he left to start up the popular brand United Arrows. Today, over 150 BEAMS are dotted across Japan, with international locations in Taipei, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Los Angeles.

Since 1976, BEAMS (and contemporary Japanese brands inspired by Americana) has evolved from an imitator into an innovator. Achieving and surpassing its original goal of bringing American goods into the Japanese market, BEAMS now represents one of the most authentic and perfected expressions of classic American style, from staples like denim to menswear essentials like oxford button-downs and suiting.

Summarizing the main ideas that drive BEAMS while speaking to MONTECRISTO magazine, Yo Shitara explained, “Basic and exciting is the core concept of Beams. The concept is saying that the basics are the most exciting things. Not only in fashion but in furniture or in any other lifestyle objects, the basic products are what we will always have.”

Shitara goes on to say, “We are always attentive to what’s going on in the fashion world, but we are also very in tune with what’s being made on the streets. We try to be in the middle, and that’s our role—to make the best of the two worlds meet at BEAMS.”